Z-fold or C-fold mailer-type business forms formed of a single sheet of approximately 8xc2xdxc3x9714 inch paper, paper weight of 90-100 lbs., have become a very fast, cost-effective, and efficient mailing and distribution system which can be mailed at regular postage rates. Such mailer forms are sold, for example, by Moore Business Forms, Inc. of Lake Forest, Ill., and may be processed on both impact and non-impact printers. One type of such form uses heat-activated adhesive with marginal portions detachable along four edges of the form, while another uses pressure sensitive adhesive with the outside detachable along three edges, and with the interior panel detachable along a fourth.
While mailers have become a very common type of business form, some mailers are ineffective or obsolete when used with current postal service technology or with restrictions concerning the placement of the address information on mailers. Likewise, thickness restrictions relating to the capabilities of printers reduce the effectiveness of certain mailers. Of particular concern in the present application is a mailer and method for using the same for certified mail. Certified mail presents certain problems in mail handling in that the regulations specify that the return receipt and mailer be of a certain green coloration which is not amenable to optical scanning of bar-code information. Therefore, regular mail which can be bar-coded, scanned, sorted, and distributed, can be processed much faster than certified mail which is predominately manually sorted.
The present invention provides a single sheet mailer which incorporates a detachable certified mail return receipt having a bar-code readable return address window, a message window, address window, the acceptable coloration, and a security imprint from the Postal Service. To utilize the mailer an address list and a standard message may be utilized with the mail-merge function of a common word processor to print a specified message and address multiple copies of the message to recipients, address the detachable return receipt, and all other information needed on the document. The document is then folded along predetermined foldlines and sealed along marginal edges, such that upon receipt the return receipt card can be detached. The card may be processed electronically by the post office, thereby facilitating its return.